Episode 7.1 [Re-watch]

[Silktie]

Jo is alive, Harry gets Lucas back from Russia, Adam must save Remembrance Day and Arkady Kachimov manipulates things behind the scenes.

Watch and discuss.

Kindly remember to use spoiler tags if you're going to refer to events that take place during later episodes and seasons.

[BAUER24]

Is anyone else cofused as to weather Lucas good or bad?

[kmac82]

Sad, sad, sad. I really miss Adam. Such a great character. How fitting, too, that one of his last(ish) lines is, "Let’s give it a go, eh? See how it crinkles out..."

Let's also not forget one of the most beautiful (albeit heartbreaking) scenes of the entire series at the end there with Harry and Wes. I cried the first time I watched it, and darn near did again this time...

And, Bauer24, I suppose that's the point. Lucas is a new character and neither we, the viewer, nor his colleagues know what to make of him.

[Kazters]

i wondered that about lucas as well especialy the converdsation in both the car and the bathroom!

there are so many things that go on in this ep! jo is really traumatised by what happened to her in the end os s6 and unerstandably so. even harry is worried about her. and adam is rather brash with her but he also knew what he was doing.

i love the whole rangefinder thing, the idea that from the moment she left ros was working in russia did adam know?

adam seems very keen and happy to work with lucas i wonder how they would have been together!

the whole last 10 min of this ep are great fast paced but you get what everyone is doing.

adams face when he sees ros. yes some argue that that few seconds would have saved him i dont think so if he hadnt done so much swerving on the grass or took so long to get the seatbelt off would he have survived?

it is an outstanding explosion and the faces of all of setion d mirror what we as fans are feeling.

then the moment that sticks with me is poor wes seeing harry at school he knows what has happened ;( its heartbreaking

[HellsBells]

This episode was so different from the chaotic rushing around in series 6, and possibly more so having gone straight from 6.10 to 7.1 in one week!!
I loved the excellent script writing, you know very quickly who and what Andy Sullivan is and what the threat is. I was great to see Jo struggling to come to terms with her ordeal, so often in Spooks they just bounce straight back up without a thought.
The scene with Malcolm and Lucas was wonderful, poor Malcolm couldn't hide his feelings towards Lucas and could not pretend that everything was fine.
The spy swap scene was brilliant, much more 'cold-war' like. Arkady Kachimov is a fantastic character, all friendly and lovable on the outside but really dark and evil on the inside.

Adam got the exit he deserved!!

(15-05-2011 07:13 PM)BAUER24 Wrote:  Is anyone else cofused as to weather Lucas good or bad?

Well he has been in the hands of the Russians for 8 years, would you trust him?

[A Cousin]

I have only ever watched this series once, so this is my first rewatch of it. My goodness, there was a lot of business to get done in this episode! They do it rather well. There is so much happening but its all done succinctly and cleanly.

The primary order of business is to get the S7 team established. I like how Lucas, Ros and Jo are brought in from the cold - to borrow a phrase. Ben Richards works his character magic. There are a lot of little character threads, with Harry and Adam interwoven with them all, that only come together at the very end when Jo returns to the Grid. Ladies and Gentlemen, your team for Series 7!

Lucas - man of mystery for me from the get go. Its a good intro. He is clearly damaged but wanting, needing even, to get back into it right away. I agree with Kazters, Adam and Lucas seemed to work together so very well. I had forgotten that Adam is the one who goes to bat to get Lucas back on the team - and then Adam dies. Lucas' fight with Tranquility is really well choreographed. My goodness, he has some rage though! His scene with Harry in the bathroom is fraught with distrust and doubt and regret for both of them. Great acting by both. Harry is really simply not emotionally forthright, and never has been, and Lucas needs him to be in that moment. Lucas seems to really need Harry's approval or apology or sympathy or something. Not sure what but he seems to be on the defensive to me, almost like an impertinent child. Then there is the promise of "the proper talk." Who else has Harry ever done that for? No one. It remains to be seen if the work will allow them that talk. Their work always gets in the way.

A concept that is no better illustrated than when Adam and Ros are "reunited" only to have the demands of the work get in the way. *sniff* Adam *sniff!* I did not know he was going to die. One of their better CGI moments though. Harry's scene with Wes (and maybe even PF's saying good-bye to James Dicker?) was heartbreaking. I really liked Adam, but I am torn by his demise. Sure, they could have kept the character going, but I think they had explored the Adam character sufficiently. "So long and thanks for all the fish" to RPJ!

I was very relieved to see Jo. I completely bought that she was dead. Her character had developed so nicely in S6, I was really sad about that. I liked how they reintroduced her from her perspective so it took you a while to figure out who it was. They also very nicely established that Jo is now a very different person and officer. Her return from her emotional melt-down back into the duty of the work in order to honour Adam's death is a major Spooks theme. Self-control, self-denial, etc.

Ros as Rangefinder. OK. My impression is that she was instrumental in getting Lucas back? I think (I hope) the experiences of S5 and S6 have solidified Ros' loyalty. I love the moment when she takes the big Russian guy down and sits on his neck pointing the pen at his eye. The single tear running down her face when Harry promises retribution is really well done.

Interesting that Connie is the only one in on Ros' Rangefinder status. It shows the level of trust that she has with Harry.

Ben - *meh!*

Malcolm - still being wonderful Malcolm. His realization that it has been 8 years is great. Do we think he is gobsmacked for Lucas' sake or his own or both?

Sorry this is so long. So much going on....

[BAUER24]

(17-05-2011 01:45 PM)HellsBells Wrote:  This episode was so different from the chaotic rushing around in series 6, and possibly more so having gone straight from 6.10 to 7.1 in one week!!
I loved the excellent script writing, you know very quickly who and what Andy Sullivan is and what the threat is. I was great to see Jo struggling to come to terms with her ordeal, so often in Spooks they just bounce straight back up without a thought.
The scene with Malcolm and Lucas was wonderful, poor Malcolm couldn't hide his feelings towards Lucas and could not pretend that everything was fine.
The spy swap scene was brilliant, much more 'cold-war' like. Arkady Kachimov is a fantastic character, all friendly and lovable on the outside but really dark and evil on the inside.

Adam got the exit he deserved!!

(15-05-2011 07:13 PM)BAUER24 Wrote:  Is anyone else cofused as to weather Lucas good or bad?

Well he has been in the hands of the Russians for 8 years, would you trust him?

Not after the conversation he had with Harry in the car. Adam should have interrogated as soon as he got back to Thames House

[kmac82]

Quote:Harry is really simply not emotionally forthright, and never has been, and Lucas needs him to be in that moment. Lucas seems to really need Harry's approval or apology or sympathy or something. Not sure what but he seems to be on the defensive to me, almost like an impertinent child. Then there is the promise of "the proper talk." Who else has Harry ever done that for? No one. It remains to be seen if the work will allow them that talk. Their work always gets in the way.

You know, I'd never carried Harry's lack of emotional forthrightness over into his relationship with Lucas, but that's so true. He has no idea how to handle Lucas. He's friendly, but almost coldly distant. Maybe he's burdened with both guilt as well as skepticism?

Of course, if Harry were any more emotionally forthright, he'd be a a pretty poor Section Head as well as spy...

[HellsBells]

(17-05-2011 02:31 PM)A Cousin Wrote:  Malcolm - still being wonderful Malcolm. His realization that it has been 8 years is great. Do we think he is gobsmacked for Lucas' sake or his own or both?

I think he is just embarrassed by the fact that he mentioned it at all, everyone was welcoming Lucas back as if he had just been on a two week holiday, kind of like an elephant in the room moment. But Lucas covered over Malcolm's embarrassment by making a joke out of it.

The scene with Harry and Lucas in the washroom was so brilliant. Harry looked at Lucas with....disappointment (?) because Lucas had those tattoos. Did he feel that somehow Lucas should have keep himself above such things? Or was Harry disappointed in himself for not being able to protect/save Lucas?

[A Cousin]

(17-05-2011 08:53 PM)kmac82 Wrote:  You know, I'd never carried Harry's lack of emotional forthrightness over into his relationship with Lucas, but that's so true. He has no idea how to handle Lucas. He's friendly, but almost coldly distant. Maybe he's burdened with both guilt as well as skepticism?

Of course, if Harry were any more emotionally forthright, he'd be a a pretty poor Section Head as well as spy...

It isn't just Lucas either. It's Jo too. That is the dichotomy of SHP and, IMO, what makes him such a great character. He is not perfect. I would agree that Harry's inability to deal with his emotions, either through choice or necessity, is what the job has done with him. He had to learn to control them in order to do his job. Just like Jo, he consistently side-lines his own emotional well-being for the good of the country. Look at his reaction to Adam's death?

Mussing further, I had forgotten that Adam is the one who goes to bat for Lucas and convinces Harry to let Lucas go back to work. Of course, Adam has had his own experiences with torture but certainly not for the length of time Lucas has been through it. Perhaps that is a bit naive of Adam? Lucas should have been immediately debriefed and sent to Tring for an open-ended stay.

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(18-05-2011 01:29 PM)HellsBells Wrote:  The scene with Harry and Lucas in the washroom was so brilliant. Harry looked at Lucas with....disappointment (?) because Lucas had those tattoos. Did he feel that somehow Lucas should have keep himself above such things? Or was Harry disappointed in himself for not being able to protect/save Lucas?

That is a truly brilliant scene. There is so much going on. I didn't see disappointment from Harry, I saw honest concern. Both desperately need something from the other that the other is not able or prepared to give. I also think Harry is trying to assess whether Lucas is "broken" as Connie asks. Lucas is looking for, I don't know what from Harry? Forgiveness? Acknowledgement? Apology? Sympathy? How super-humanly strong a person is Lucas to endure that for 8 years? Esp. coming off of the confirmed death of Zaf who, as it was stated in 6.10, lasted longer than most but eventually even he couldn't take it any more? Maybe that is what Adam is responding to when he goes to bat for Lucas? Another Lucas mystery for me: what motivated him to survive the last 8 years?